The Birth of Kings: The Next Generation
by Showers' Inc
Summary: Jamboki and Nuka, Kovu and Kiara's sons, are growing up quickly. As their time to take the throne comes closer, they must discover what they are meant to do. With some always helpful old friends and new ones, let the journey begin!  Reviews appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

The Birth of Kings: The Next Generation

A/N: Hey, guys, this is a sort of sequel to my first Lion King story, "The Birth of Kings." It was where I originally introduced some of the characters I use in this story, along with the already existing ones from the movies. It's 14 chapters and relatively short, so you're welcome to check it out if you want, but it won't really matter if you do or not. I'm going to try my best and re-introduce them here and hopefully everyone likes them as much as I do! So, enjoy the first chapter and reviews make me all fuzzy inside!!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Lion King characters or the storyline, I just like writing about them. However, I'm horrible at lyrics for songs, so I'll be excluding those. Sorry! Jeez, where's Elton John and Tim Rice when you need them?

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Hira yawned heavily as she lay on the sun-beaten rock. Her once dark tan fur was paled considerably. Her eyelids fluttered open to reveal her light brown ones, resembling her father's. She looked around to see the cubs she had been watching were now gone in the tall thicks of the grassland. _Probably out searching for beetles and worms like that meerkat and warthog taught them, _she thought to herself with a smile.

She stood slowly on her stiffening legs, stretching with a yawn again. Hopefully, her young apprentice Raji was keeping an eye on the cubs. She knew she was getting too old to do so on a regular basis. Someone had to take her place and Raji seemed like the perfect candidate. He was quiet and protecting, much like his great uncle Simba. Hira sighed heavily at the thought. Simba being a great uncle made her feel ancient. She was, after all, Simba's aunt. Of course, he would never know that. Scar and Mafasa had their own battles fought. Hira lived a simple life, well out of the way of the battle for the place of royalty . . .

"Raji!" she called over the tall grass, starting to walk in the direction of the watering hole.

The old lioness was happy to have some sun beating down. It had been raining for days, leaving all of the pride cramped and grouchy in the sleeping caves. Kovu and Kiara asked all of the able-bodies to go out hunting. Kovu, Raji, and his father Vitaleni went with them, but no lion came up fruitful. It seemed like the rain made every creature disappear, only to reappear when the sun returned. So all of the able-bodies went out hunting today, leaving Raji and Hira the usual job of watching the younger lions.

Hira walked slowly through the tall grass. As she continued, she could hear the laughs and shouts of the cubs from the watering hole. Even though it had rained endlessly, the cubs thought it was a brilliant idea to go swimming and play in the water. She peeked her head out to see five young cubs playing and giggling together. Two were balanced on an old log that was suspended above the water, getting ready to jump in. Two others taunted the ones on the log playfully, saying they were too toucan to jump. The last and littlest cub was playing by herself in the grass on the far side of the hole, laughing as she pawed at something.

Hira squinted to see a dark fur tuft of a tail disappear into the grass in front of the little cub. The old lioness laughed to herself. Raji's tail, obviously. The littlest girl pounced into the grass after it. There was a loud roar and a squeal before a fit of giggling. The cub burst out of the grass and ran into the shallow water as Raji appeared behind her, laughing. His dark mane had blades of grass mixed with his fur. He smiled at the cub, breathing heavily.

"Okay, Sisi, you win," he laughed. "Go play now."

Sisi grinned proudly before splashing into the water after the others. Raji shook his mane, blades of grass flying off around him. Hira laughed as she walked around the edge of the watering hole to join Raji on the other side. She sat down beside him and raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"You certainly look like you've been having fun," she said.

Raji laughed, looking at the young lions splashing around. "Sure, they're getting really good at swimming."

"I noticed, they're doing very well. Tell me, Raji, do you happen to know where the older cubs are?"

"Older cubs? They didn't wake you?"

"Not a beast has walked by me yet this afternoon."

"I asked them to go back and wake you about an hour ago. I just thought you were telling them one of your stories . . . Shoot. Who are we missing, then? Let's see . . ." He held out a paw, head counting the cubs in the water. "Let's see, five here, so four of them are gone. But . . . there's only three older cubs."

Raji and Hira turned to each other instantly, their eyes widening in realization. "Nyela," they said in unison.

"Sisi, where's your sister?" Raji asked breathlessly.

Sisi looked up at the sky, thinking. "She said something about going after Jam and Nuka. They were going to the Outlands."

"Outlands?!" Raji and Hira exclaimed in unison once again.

"Are they crazy?!" Raji growled. He turned to Hira. "Okay, I'm going after them. Stay with the cubs and go back when it gets dark. I'll bring them all back to Pride Rock as soon as I can."

Hira nodded before Raji sprinted off into the tall grass, his body crashing through it loudly. The old lioness shook her head as she turned back to the cubs in the water.

"Go ahead and keep playing, little ones," she instructed. "We'll go back at first sign of nightfall, deal?"

"Okay, Hira," everyone but Sisi said together.

They returned to playing while Sisi came out of the water to sit beside Hira. She shook water from her fur before plopping down next to the old lioness.

"I hope Nylea is okay," the little girl said softly.

Hira bent her head and nudged her gently with her nose. "Oh, I'm sure she'll be fine. But, Sisi, why did she follow Jam and Nuka?"

Sisi giggled. "Because she has a crush on Nuka."

"Isn't Nuka a bit too old for your sister?"

She shrugged. "Probably. But he's a prince. It's not surprising."

Hira laughed, shaking her head. "I suppose you're right. Let's just hope that the princes have a clear head on their shoulders like their grandfather."

"Or like you, Hira. Maybe they got it from you."

She blinked several times before looking down to the cub. "Why do you say that?"

"You're related to them, aren't you? I always thought you were . . ." Sisi stood up with a yawn and a stretch. "Oh, well. I'm going swimming again."

She ran off to land in the water with a splash. Hira stared ahead of her for a moment, dumbfounded. _How on Earth could that little cub know that I'm related to Simba's blood line? Does she know that I'm Jamboki and Nuka's great-great aunt?_ She shook her head forcefully, smiling weakly._ Of course not. Sisi is a smart little lioness, but no one knows that. I certainly hope Raji can find his cousins and Nylea all right . . . Those princes think they're braver than any lion. And it always gets them in trouble._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Ready . . ."

"Set . . ."

"GO!"

The two young lions sprinted off together, laughing as they tried to outrun one another. Jamboki, the thinner of the two brothers, was obviously faster, but he kept pace with his bigger, stronger brother Nuka. Jam's light tan fur was almost the same shade as their mother's, while Nuka's fur was even darker than their father's, a deep brown with an even darker mane. Jam laughed as his brother breathed heavily.

"Okay, Nuka, here it comes!" Jam shouted. "You ready?"

"You'll lose this time, Jam!" Nuka answered, putting on an extra burst of speed, which surprised Jam. His brother was remarkably strong, but speed was never a gift for him.

Jam raced after him, right on his heels and catching up to him easily. The two lions kept running as a gapping hole came closer and closer to their stamping paws. Both of them ran at the top speed, Jam about a body's length ahead of his brother. They kicked up dust as they sprinted toward the gap. Jam sprang upwards at the last second, jumping as far as he could and landing with a heavy thud on the other side. He skidded to a stop just as Nuka made it over. Unable to stop his momentum, Nuka plowed into his brother. Both of them tumbled for several more feet before sliding to a stop, sprawled out on their backs.

They panted hard for a few moments before bursting out in laughter. Jam turned himself over, looking at his brother as they kept laughing.

"How did you manage that jump?" he asked between breaths. "I'm impressed."

"Well, I got tired of you bragging about how much faster you could run," Nuka sighed, turning over and standing up. "I had to show you I can keep up with you."

Jam nodded in understanding. "Well, good job. You definitely got me on that one. Hey, you wanna see if any bugs are around here? Timon said if you find the right spot the grubs are 'superb.'"

"Jam, we're in the Outlands. Nothing's alive here. That's why they call them 'Outlands.' I mean, look at me. I'm the same color you are because of the dust."

Nuka shook off, a cloud of dust erupting from his fur. Jam laughed as he did the same before turning and walking the other direction.

"Well, Dad said they were starting to get stuff growing out here before. I wonder what happened."

"It feels like it hasn't rained here in years. Maybe that's a cause?"

Jam rolled his eyes as Nuka trotted up to walk beside him. "Wow, Nuka, you're so observant. Come on, we can at least look around, can't we?"

"We've never been past this point, though, Jam. Shouldn't we go back?"

"Why? Raji is playing with the little cubs and Hira is probably still sleeping on her rock."

"Technically, we were supposed to wake her up . . . Plus, it's getting dark. Dad will rip us apart if we're late getting back."

"Then go back, Mama's Cub. You're just a toucan, anyways."

"Don't let Zuri hear that . . ."

"Like the bird's around, Nuka. Are you coming or not?"

Nuka stood where he was for a long moment, watching his brother walk away from him before trotting after him. He was starting to regret the decision because he picked up a forbidding scent. Jam didn't have the best nose. He could pick up strong, close by scents, but Nuka could smell something from long distances . . . And this something was not something he wanted to mess with, even if it still was a ways away.

"Jam, we should really go back . . ." he started hesitantly.

"Then go, Nuka. I'll meet you back at Pride Rock."

"No, I don't like it. Something's out here. Something that definitely doesn't want us around. Let's just go back to Raji and the cubs."

"You worry too much, Nuka. Dad's old stories of the Outlands got to you."

"Because they're true!"

"Uh huh, and antelope can fly. Dad just told those stories so we'd stay away from here, Grandpa, too. They think we're too young to handle it. Why not prove them wrong, Nuka? Show them how grown up we are."

"Jam, I really don't like this . . ."

"Then go back."

"I'm not going to leave you out here by yourself. It could be dangerous."

Jam stopped and scuffed the ground with his paw, sending a poof of dust upwards. "Ooh, a big scary puff of dried dirt! Please don't let it get me!" He ran off, laughing.

Nuka stayed where he was, watching his brother trot around in a cocky attitude. "That's not funny, Jam."

Jam started hopping up and down on the dirt, sending more dirt up in the air. "Uh oh, Nuka, run! It's after you!"

"Jam . . ."

There was a loud crash and a huge cloud of dirt erupted from where his brother had once stood. Nuka coughed and threw his front paw over his face to shield his eyes from the huge dust cloud. He heard Jam coughing weakly a distance away, groaning. Nuka tried to keep from inhaling too much dusk before stepping forward.

"Jam!" he called weakly, sputtering as dust instantly filled his mouth. "You okay?"

"I think . . . I hurt my leg," Jam's voice drifted upwards along with his hacks and coughs from the dust.

"What happened?"

"The ground collapsed under me. I think it used to be an old water hole or something and I hit a pocket. My back legs are wet."

Nuka got on his belly and started shimming in the direction of his brother's voice, feeling around carefully with his paws. He felt the ragged drop-off. Waiting until the dust settled a bit, he squinted his eyes to see the top half of his brother sticking up from the ground about four feet below him. Nuka laughed despite himself.

"And they say I'm the bigger brother. You broke the ground!"

"Ha ha ha," Jam answered sarcastically. "Can you help me out? I think I'm stuck . . ."

"Okay, I'm coming down. Just stay where you are!"

His brother scoffed. "Yeah, I'll try to. Just hurry up."

Nuka stood up and angled his body, sliding down the edge of the dried-up pool and landing heavily on the ground a short distance away from his brother. He couldn't help laughing again as he neared Jam, who was trying hard to lift his bottom half from the hole he had made. Nuka stopped next to him, investigating his predicament.

"Okay, I'll pull with you," he offered. "On three. You count off."

Nuka then grabbed a hold of the scruff of his brother's neck, trying not to bite down hard. Jam counted down to one and together they tried to get Jam's lower half out of the hole. He came up a little bit, but not all the way. Jam growled, trying to pull himself out further. Nuka stopped helping, suddenly hearing something. He looked to his right where the dried pool bed stretched out across from them. There was a lot of space from the edge Nuka and Jam were near to the next. He sniffed the air, catching that scent again.

"Nuka, a little help, please?" Jam asked as he struggled. "I can't do this on my own."

Nuka hushed his brother, focusing on the far edge of the dried pool. Soon, small dark figures popped up around the edges, a few at first, then so many that the separate figures meshed into one massive dark shape. Nuka inhaled sharply.

"Jam, we gotta go!"

He grabbed his brother and started tugging hard. Jam growled at the sudden tug.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" he snapped. "I'm trying . . ."

Nuka let go of his neck fur and went around to start shoving against Jam's back. "Try harder!"

Jam turned to yell at him again, but froze. Behind them, solid waves of hyenas were jumping down into the dried pool, dust kicking up as they started running toward them. Jam stared at them, dumbfounded.

"Jam, snap out of it!" Nuka ordered, still pushing against him. "Pull yourself out!"

His brother turned and planted his front legs on the ground. He pulled as hard as he could while Nuka pushed. Soon, his back legs emerged from the ground in a soft sucking sound. Both of the lions stumbled forward and landed hard on the ground. Nuka scrambled up and looked at the hyenas that were coming closer and closer. Jam stood up shakily, hissing in pain.

"My back right paw is messed up . . ."

"Can you run on it?" Nuka asked, panicked and breathing heavily.

Jam looked back at the nearing hyenas. "It'll have to be good enough. Come on!"

The princes scrambled up the edge of the pool and ran off away from the edge. Jam's breathing was sharply and painful-sounding. Nuka knew his brother couldn't make it far with his paw like that . . . Manic laughter erupted behind them as at least a hundred hyenas hop over the edge of the pool and went after them.

"Looky here, guys!" the leader called behind him. "Looks like we got some youngsters who strayed too far! Whatever shall we do?"

"Eat 'em?" a fellow hyena suggested.

"Sounds good to me!"

The hyenas cackled together again, obviously enjoying their little game. Nuka kept his pace with Jam, who was slower now with his injury. The two glanced behind them to see how close the hyenas were. Before they turned to look back in front of them, a weak scream made them both jump. They turned back to see a small cloud of dust puffing up from the ground, a little tan cub attempting to scramble away from them.

"Is that . . .?" Jam began, squinting his eyes.

"Nylea!" Nuka shouted, putting on an extra burst of speed.

In no time, the older lion reached the cub, who was still trying to run with all her might. She was nearly crying as she panted. Nuka picked her up by the scruff of the neck, still running. He turned back to see Jam running only a little bit ahead of the hyenas. Nuka cursed softly to himself, looking around frantically for something to do. He turned back and starting running toward Jam and the wall of hyenas.

Nylea screamed. "Why are you running _toward_ them?! They'll eat us, Nuka!"

Nuka ignored her, still running. He tried to roar as loud as he could with Nylea's scruff in his mouth. Jam looked up to see his brother coming at him at an alarming rate, Nylea dangling from his mouth. Nuka tilted his head back and launched Nylea forward.

"Catch!" he shouted.

Jam shouted, startled at his brother's action. He put on as much speed as he could, ignoring the pain. Nylea squealed in alarm as she travelled through the air. Jam leapt up and caught the cub in his mouth, landing hard on the ground. Nuka kept running toward him.

"Keep running! Get Nylea out of here!" he demanded.

Jam kept running as Nuka suddenly jumped over him and into the wall of hyenas. With the force of his body, he took out at least 12 of them. Startled, the hyenas skitted to a stop, giving Nuka his chance. He leapt up from the ground and ran into multiple hyenas, knocking them down around him. Some of them were knocked out, but most jumped back up being knocked down. Nuka roared in anger, knocking down another big group of hyenas before sprinting off after his brother.

The hyenas that still stood barked in anger and went after him. Nuka was a distance behind Jam, seeing his brother's muddied behind moving quickly in front of him.

"Keep going!" Nuka shouted. "I'm okay, just keep running!"

"Okay!" Nylea answered loudly for Jam.

Almost as soon as she shouted it, Jam's body disappeared from sight, Nylea screaming yet again. Nuka gasped, looking around frantically.

"Jam! Jam!" he called.

He heard a groan as he neared the spot where Jam had suddenly vanished. Nuka looked ahead of him. The gapping hole, the one each of them had jumped for fun. Nuka cursed to himself. His brother must have not seen it in front of him while he was holding Nylea . . . Growling in anger, Nuka put on an extra burst and went at the hole full speed. He jumped up and cleared it easily, landing on his feet.

He kept running, turning his head slightly to see where the hyenas were. Not many were left from his attack, but the ones that remained were obviously furious, making them run even faster. He had to find a way to shake them and soon . . .

"Nuka!" a deep voice called in front of him.

He looked ahead to see his cousin, Raji, stopped in front of him.

"Turn back!" Nuka yelled. "Go back to the Pridelands! Get Dad and the other lions! Go!"

Raji whipped around and started running. Nuka panted, feeling pains in his lungs. _Okay_, he thought to himself. _Now I just have to hold out until the other lions get here . . . How can I keep them in this area, but away from that gap so they won't sight Jam and Nylea?_

He skidded to a stop and turned to face the remaining hyenas. More of them had appeared, apparently awake after getting knocked out by his earlier attack. He roared loudly as they stopped and instantly surrounded him. The hyenas cackled together, taunting the young lion, who obviously didn't have a chance. Another line came to wrap around him, then another, and another. A total of four lines deep now surrounded him completely. Nuka growled at the hyenas, baring his teeth at them.

"Ooh, tough guy, even though he doesn't have a chance," one laughed. "Respectable, eh, boss?"

"It sure is, guys," the leader Nuka had knocked over earlier chuckled. "Shame we have to tear him up and divide him amongst ourselves. Sorry there, Leo . . ."

Nuka growled at him again, hoping this bone-headed move turned out to be a good idea . . ."


End file.
